Aaaah to Lyn & Mike…. thank you so much for letting me capture your day!

They were married at the beautiful Erbistock Church nestled by the River Dee. I was so excited when Lyn booked me, most weddings I have to travel some distance to but this was right on my doorstep and is absolutely stunning in Autumn…my favourite time of year for weddings!

When we met at the venue prior to the Wedding I loved how excited Mike was… being a tree surgeon he had big hopes of winching me up in the trees across the river to get the best view of them outside the church! haha

The sun shone brightly all day for them, it literally couldn’t have been a nicer day to compliment the warm tones of the autumnal surroundings.

I can’t say how happy I am for them, it was an absolute pleasure editing this gallery, their day was filled with so much love and laughter and I’m so grateful to have been a part of it.

A big thanks to all the talented people which helped make it so wonderful:

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER FOR YOU & YOUR FAMILY

Newborn photography has become extremely popular in recent years. There are many photographers who have invested lots of time and money training to provide you with the best and safest service. You will also come across inexperienced photographers that offer this service without the correct education. Because of this it can be difficult to know what to look for when on the hunt for a photographer.

TOP TIPS WHEN CHOOSING YOUR NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER

Here are some suggestions of the type of things you should be thinking about when you start looking.

RESEARCH

Have a look at different newborn photographers, not just in your local area but in general. It is better to have a good idea of the market and the standards offered. You will soon see that not all newborn photographers provide the same level of service. Unfortunately in the UK at the moment you don’t need any formal qualifications to become a newborn photographer. It’s not worth the risk to use an untrained and inexperienced photographer.

CHECK YOUR LOCAL AREA

Start contacting all the newborn photographers in your area. TIP* This might not apply for everyone’s preferences but as new parents with little or no sleep the last thing you want to do is travel for hours and be falling asleep at the wheel! Try looking at all the photographers in a 1 hour radius from your home. This is a comfortable distance and you won’t be feeling exhausted by the time you get there.

WORD OF MOUTH

Once you have your list of local photographers and selected the ones that appeal to you start asking around. Other parents who have had a good experience with a photographer are always happy to talk about it. You can also ask around at any prenatal or baby groups etc that you go to.

ONLINE PRESENCE

Your list should be getting a bit shorter now (I hope?? 🙂 ) Check their website & social media pages, most business pages will have testimonial & review sections. Have a look at how they interact with their customers and how they talk to people.

MAKING CONTACT

Time to start contacting your shortlist, and here’s some suggestions of the questions you can ask:

1 – Most importantly… Are they trained and how long have they specialised in newborn photography?

If they are a true craftsman of their job then you will get a reply happily explaining about all of their training and experience. I’m sure most professional photographers will be more than happy to talk about how they’ve got to where they are at now.

2 – What type of newborn photography do they provide?

Some photographers offer a very relaxed natural session, taking more lifestyle shots of you and your baby without any styling and posing. There’s other photographers who have beautiful props and accessories for you to use in the session to create a styled shoot and there’s some that offer both types. After all of the extensive research you have already done to get you to this point you probably have a clear picture in your mind of the type of images you want, so it’s a good idea to find out if they offer that.

3 – Do they have an assistant?

Depending on the style of photography they will sometimes need an assistant. For example when creating a composite which is several images layered together an assistant is sometimes needed to support the baby. This refers back to what I mentioned earlier in the horror stories about what can go wrong with untrained photographers attempting poses that should be assisted. Not all photographers have assistants but will usually ask a parent to support the babies head whilst they take a photo or if they need to leave the baby for a moment.

4 – Where will the session take place?

Newborn sessions are either done in a cosy warm studio or at your own home, if it is done at a studio most photographers are more than happy for you to pop in and have a look around before you book.

The studio should be fully equipped with everything you need for several hours –

Parking nearby

Pram access

Clean & tidy

Toilet

Baby changing area

Comfy seating area

Refreshments

Perfect Moments Newborn Photography Studio

5 – Pricing & availability

Make sure you know what the session fee costs and the packages that they offer, there should be no hidden costs and that way you can have an idea of what you want before you have your session.

The session fee is what you pay when you book, it secures your booking and pays for the time and skills of your photographer during your session. Be cautious of overly cheap sessions, a £50 Offer for a shoot and all the images is not a bargain and you could be left with sub standard images and no time left to find another photographer.

Professional newborn photographers charge what they do because of the time and money that has gone into training to provide you with the best and safest service. They have invested thousands into their business to set up as well as their ongoing costs like:

Public liability insurance

Photography association fees

Equipment insurance

Editing software subscriptions

Data storage

Online gallery fees

Then on top of that if they have a studio then there’s all the costs that are involved in that. Also, after your session the work doesn’t end there, hours are spent editing and fine tuning your images so that you have beautiful photos ready for your viewing appointment. By the way, this wasn’t meant to be a rant about pricing but it’s good to know what you are paying for 🙂

6 – When to book

Booking early is important if you want to secure your chosen photographer, most newborn photographers can be booked up months in advance. When you book, you are securing a place in the month surrounding your due date. Babies can turn up unexpectedly so newborn photographers have their calendars booked out to be as flexible as possible once baby arrives. This sometimes means giving up their weekends but you will find if they love their job they are usually always happy to do that.

7 – How long will you have to wait for your photos?

The last thing you want is to be waiting months for your photos so find out their average turnaround time so you know what to expect.

* * *

I hope this has given you a helping in hand in deciding how to book your newborn photographer. As you can see there is lots to think about but it doesn’t need to be too daunting if you know what you need to keep in mind.

* * *

If you are interested in booking Perfect Moments Photography click the link below for more information. Or if you would like to have a chat then please just send me a message or give me a call using the details below:

I specialise in newborn photography and i put my heart & soul into creating timeless images like these that you can cherish forever….if you are expecting and would like more information i would love to hear from you xx

Steve & Siobhan’s Wedding was so enjoyable from the moment we got there until we packed away in the evening…these two souls are seriously the most chilled, happy & humble couple i’ve ever had the pleasure to photograph. So grateful for every little detail and everyone involved in making their day as special as it was.

The were married at Bersham Church which is incredible and nestled in the beautiful woodland, I joined them on their Big Double Decker bus which transported them there and then back to the Croes Howell who were brilliant and made sure every detail was just perfect.

The pianist entertained everyone inside, the cocktail bar outside kept drinks flowing with the live music in the background and the sun shone all day…..it couldn’t of gone any better!

Their gallery is huge because there was so much to photograph and it was very hard to pick just a few, but here is a handful of their memories…..

What a day….didn’t want it to end! Thank you for letting us be part of it!

How i ended up photographing Craig & Lorna’s Wedding is quite a funny story as we met early last year….whilst both in hospital, both of us struggling to breath or talk we formed a friendship that lead to her coming to find me when Craig proposed to her!

They were married at Northop Church & then went on to enjoy all their celebrations at Rossett Hall….it was a fabulous day from start to finish! So glad you found me Lorna we had the best time capturing your special day!

Here is a handful of your memories… it was so hard picking from the final 800!! So to all the wedding guests reading this, if you aren’t in here don’t worry you are in the full collection that i will deliver to Lorna & Craig 🙂

Thank you so much for having us there … we loved every minute!

Lv Suze & Kamila xx

(Thank you to the wedding guest who stole my camera in order to take this photo…a rare moment that we are both in front of the lens!! 🙂 )

On the 10th June 2017 James & Susan became Mr & Mrs Baker with all their family and friends at The Lion Quays Hotel.

Even though the heavens poured all day long it didn’t ruin the magic of their Alice In Wonderland themed wedding.

It was such a pleasure for me to capture their special day and meet their beautiful 3 girls again…. i photographed them years prior and i can’t believe how quickly time has gone and how much they have grown up.

So i just want to say thanks to you both, and to Simon & Sarah who were a great help on the day, and to the girls for making me giggle with lots of photo opportunities…. Holly’s funny faces and Jessica’s Diva-ness were fantastic…and to your Mum Janet, who was always asking if i was ok or needed anything…..anyway i’ll stop babbling now!

Here’s a little handful of the memories from your Special Day…..lv Suze xx

Something i don’t often get chance to do is just play, and this weekend with it being ‘Mothers Weekend’ ( Because a day simply isn’t enough! 😀 ). Sophie wanted to come to work with me which i was apprehensive about at first because i was expecting “can we go get something to eat” “I’m bored now what can i do” “Can i have your phone” “How much longer” “Can i go on Youtube”…you know the usual complaints.

But she was brilliant, helped out doing the music and choosing outfits for the clients she was a pleasure to have around plus we had time to have a little play. I’ve had some new backdrops and i wanted a few images of them for my website…….so i had an idea of what i wanted……..but with children what you end up with is very different to what you get!

Everytime i tied a headband or did her hair she would either start dancing, fidgeting or moving to how she thought would look best….and ‘My Vision’ was quickly disintegrating!

SO in the end i had to resort to Bribery and told her a trip to Waterstones would be on the cards later (which i was going to do anyway because she had been such a good assistant but it was meant to be a surprise) if we got a few photos.

And in her moments of stillness when she looks right through my camera to me i had what i wanted 😀